Caleb Williams is expected to be the Chicago Bears starting quarterback on day one of the 2024 NFL season, but a recent report warned he could have some serious growing pains in his rookie season unless he is quickly immersed into the team’s style of play on offense.
There has been a huge amount of speculation about the 2024 NFL Draft, which kicks off tonight in Detroit. This year’s class has five quarterbacks that could be selected in Round 1 and almost twice as many teams desperately in need of a potential franchise QB.
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However, the biggest foregone conclusion on Thursday night is that the Chicago Bears will use the top overall pick on USC Trojans star Caleb Williams. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner has been projected to be the top pick this month for well over a year and little has changed that designation. That likelihood was also unofficially confirmed when the team traded away former first-round pick Justin Fields last month.
It means once Williams puts pen to paper on his rookie deal, he will be put on a course to be the team’s starting QB in Week 1. While there are high hopes for the ultra-talented signal caller, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler delivered a major warning about Williams on Wednesday via an offensive coordinator for a rival team.
Could Caleb Williams struggle early due to a very different offensive style with the Chicago Bears?
“I heard an interesting thought from an NFL coordinator on USC’s Williams: The Bears need to get him immersed in their run-first, progression system early because coming from the Lincoln Riley offense is not easy,” Fowler wrote. “‘The transition scares me for some of these guys where it’s just, set, hike, find the open man,’ the coordinator said. ‘And you’ve seen guys like Kyler [Murray] and Baker [Mayfield] struggle with the transition at times.”
That same coordinator also explained to Fowler that Murray getting quickly assimilated into the play-action offense of new Cardinals OC Drew Petzing played a huge role in his success in 2023 and is why the coaching staff felt he was a viable long-term option at QB after recovering from a torn ACL.
Riley’s offensive style closely mirrors the classic air-raid approach which is about using a lot of wide receivers, passing often, and quick offensive linemen. Something very different than what the Chicago Bears have done in recent years.
However, the system may have also been geared more to Justin Fields skills and they could certainly expand things now they will soon have a more gifted passer in Caleb Williams under center.
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